Another Shot
by tojo1973
Summary: Elizabeth gets shot at Jakes. Jason finds her. Set around Christmas 2005. Liason
1. Chapter 1

**Another Shot  
**

Elizabeth Webber walked into Jake's, her eyes showing the fatigue of the last few months. She walked over to the bar and sat in a stool, waiting for the bartender to take her order.

Coleman looked up from drying some glasses at the woman who had just sat down. He set down the glass he was working on and walked over to her, leaning over the bar.

"Now, what is a sweet thing like you doing in a dump like this?" Coleman's eyes traveled from her face down to her chest, where they stayed.

Elizabeth looked up and glared at the man. She rolled her eyes, and let out a breath. "I'll take a Captain Morgan and coke, on the rocks." When he continued to stare at her chest, she slapped the bar, bringing him back to reality. When he finally lifted his eyes to hers, she said, in her sweetest voice, "Please."

"Yeah, sure. Coming right up." Coleman eyed her for a moment before turning around to fix her drink.

Elizabeth turned around and looked over the bar. Though it was never the classiest of places, she always felt the need to come back here. Her eyes traveled over to the jukebox in the corner, then turned to the small table sitting in the middle of the room. A small smile spread on her lips as she recalled sitting there, pouring her heart out.

Flashback  
"Do you know what nothing feels like?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much where I live."

His voice echoed in her head, as if he was standing next her. She turned her head and focused on the pool table, nestled next to the stairs. A flash of her standing over the table, Jason behind her, teaching her how to play, ran through her mind.

She shook her head at the memories. She laughed and chastised her self silently.

"Webber, you must be losing it," she said to herself, turning around and leaning her elbows on the bar.

Just then, Coleman came back with her drink.

"Captain Morgan and coke for the lovely lady," he sneered, with a smile that made her want to run home and take a shower.

"Thanks. Can you start a tab?" Elizabeth tried to ignore the looks he was giving her.

"Sure thing, doll." With that, he walked away, leaving Elizabeth to drink in peace.

Her mind traveled back to her earlier thoughts. Why was she thinking of him now? Didn't she have enough going on in her life?

Elizabeth had recently lost the baby she was carrying for Jax and Courtney. She willingly went into the situation, hoping to alleviate the financial difficulties her then-boyfriend Lucky was having. After she had successfully conceived, she started having doubts about giving her own flesh and blood to someone else.

Lucky hadn't helped either. He suddenly became possessive and jealous. He hated that Jax would buy her or Cameron gifts, and was genuinely concerned for her. Eventually, she started to feel like when he was brainwashed and trying to run her life.

After Jax had caught Courtney with Nikolas in the Bahamas, he pushed for a quickie divorce, and his focus shifted unrelentingly to Elizabeth and the baby. He was constantly around, telling her what she should eat, where she could and couldn't go. It was driving her insane.

But despite all of that, she was genuinely excited for the baby to come. She realized, albeit a little late that she could never truly give her own flesh-and-blood to someone else to raise, and was secretly relieved when Jax and Courtney broke up, because then she could be the mother to her child, even if she had to deal with Jasper Jax as the father.

Fate, however, had other plans. She had lost the baby due to a car accident involving Carly.

A single tear escaped her eye as Elizabeth thought about that night. For a second time, she had lost a baby.

If it weren't for her son Cameron, Elizabeth would have thought she was cursed. But, she did have her son, and that was the only thing holding her together as of late.

She closed her eyes and pictured him, what he'd be doing at that moment. He was over at his Aunt Emily's house. She had been staying in the gatehouse on the Corinthos estate since her breakup with Nikolas.

She had tried to move on. While, she knew Lucky was secretly relieved that she was no longer carrying Jax's child, she continued with the relationship. She felt she owed it to him to really give it a shot. They had married, and for a while, things were okay. Then he started working with the undercover division, and it consumed all his time. He was never there for her or Cameron. He would make excuses, and not come home for days. Finally, she had had enough. She realized that his work was far more important than her or Cam. She cut her losses and left. The divorce was finalized earlier that day.

What was she going to do now? Jax had all but disappeared from her life after the miscarriage. Lucky was busy with his new position as an undercover cop. Her grandmother decided to permanently move to Europe, to be close to her parents. Emily was going through enough problems on her own for Elizabeth to add hers to it.

So where did that leave her?

With a long sigh, she picked up her drink and downed it.

Sonny walked slowly down the small path from the main house to the gate house. He told himself that he was just checking up on her. Just wanted to make sure she was okay. She was taking care of Cameron, and he just wanted to see that they had everything they needed.

He knew it was bull.

Ever since Emily had moved into the small house on the grounds of his estate, he'd been acutely aware of her presence. Hell, if he were really honest about it, it was before. They had bonded. They had both been through horrors that they would never fully recover from. They understood each other.

At first, he had no other motive than to be supportive. She was his best friend's sister, and that made her family. Whatever he could do to help, he would, if only for Jason's sake. But the more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to be with her. When her marriage to Nikolas blew up after finding him in the Bahamas with his sister, she came to him. He listened to her as she told him what she saw, and he insisted she stay with him for a while, until she decided what she wanted to do. That was months ago.

After finding out about who Reese really was, he was conflicted about whether or not he should just cut his losses and move on. She had betrayed him, lied to him about who she was and what she really came to Port Charles for. Emily confessed to seeing Ric walk out of Reese's apartment, and they're exchange seemed more than "friendly." He ultimately cut all ties with Reese. While he was angry at his brother, however, he couldn't just put aside all the progress they had made in their relationship. Emily had helped him to move past it, and forgive Ric. Now they were closer than they'd ever been. All thanks to Emily.

As hard as he tried the feelings for her just continued to grow. She was understanding, she never judged. She took care of Michael and Morgan whenever he needed her to. They both were crazy about their Aunt Emily. It seemed as though it was difficult for anyone not to love her.

Love. Sonny shook his head. He shouldn't have been thinking that way about her. She was Jason's sister, and that meant she was off limits to him. He knew what it felt like to have your best friend in love with your sister. It made him so angry to think of Courtney and Jason together.

No, it was best to keep these feelings to himself. It wasn't as if she would reciprocate. The only thing she would ever feel for him is that of a big brother. Whatever thoughts ran through his head, whatever dreams he may have about her when he's sleeping alone in his bed that was all he would get.

He knocked on the door softly, feeling nervous all the sudden.

Emily was just coming out of the room after putting Cameron down for the night. She loved having him here. He was a joy.

She sat back on the couch and sighed softly, leaning her head back on the arm rest. She closed her eyes and let herself relax.

It had been such a hard few years that she felt she wouldn't make it. First Helena, then Nikolas put in jail, the rape. Then trying and failing at her marriage. Not to mention all the trouble with AJ and Michael. To put it simply, Emily was exhausted.

She opened her eyes and looked around the small living room of the guest house. She smiled softly. This was her sanctuary; her place of solitude. She had Sonny to thank for that.

Sonny. Just thinking about him made her happy. He had been a rock for her when her world was falling apart. He sat and listened and really understood her pain. He never judged or told her what she needed to do, he was just there.

He also let her into his problems, and let her help, let her feel useful again. She had been feeling useless to the people she cared about and it hurt that no one "wanted to bother her." She needed to help. She needed to feel like she was helping someone. She was happy to be there for Michael, and for Sonny.

The whole situation with Reese and Ric had thrown Sonny, on top of Carly's breakdown. She was happy to be his shoulder. In the beginning, she just wanted to be the friend he needed to get through everything, but somehow, it became so much more to her.

She sat up and reached for her drink that she left on the table before, sipping softly before placing it back down. How things changed so quickly was what was surprising to her. When what she first felt for him was a brother/sister relationship, as she started spending more and more time with him, her feelings slowly changed into something completely different. She started seeing him as a man, not just Jason's friend and mentor. He wasn't just Michael's father. He was Sonny Corinthos; handsome, caring, loyal and honorable.

She got up and started pacing the small space in front of the couch. What was she thinking? She didn't have a chance in hell that he felt the same way as her. To him, she was just Jason's little sister. He felt obligated to help her that was all.

But she couldn't help how she felt. Slowly but surely, she had fallen in love with him. The problem was, what was she going to do about it?

She was startled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. Taking a deep breathe to steady herself, she walked over and opened it slowly. Her eyes fell upon the dark chocolate orbs that had been invading her dreams as of late. Her body reacted immediately to his presence. 

For a moment, she stood there, unable to form words. Then feeling self-conscious, she spoke, her voice cracking softly.

"Sonny."

The loud engine of Jason's bike roared down the road as he flew along the cliff roads. Any time his problems came into his head, he would speed up, letting the wind carry them away.

He'd been riding for hours. It was something he hadn't done in a long time. He needed it. His life was in limbo, and he didn't know where he was going.

After he recovered his entire memory, he realized that his life wasn't what he wanted anymore. He didn't have it in him to kill any longer. He just wanted a peaceful existence.

After the mess with Ruiz, he was more determined than ever to leave the life behind. Sonny, at first, made it all the more difficult for him, wanting him to be his right-hand. After many arguments, Sonny finally realized that getting out would be the best, for him as well. It had been a hard transition, and it still wasn't completely over.

His relationship with Sam had been just one of many casualties of that transition. While she supported his decision to leave the mob, things were never the same for them. It was as though she missed the excitement and danger all around them. Though he did love her, it just didn't work out. She had recently moved out, and started working on the Haunted Star.

That left Jason all alone, again. That's how it always ended for him; alone. The life he had chosen for himself all those years ago had caused him to lose to many people. Robin left because of it; Courtney said she could deal, then turned around and constantly tried to get him to leave; Sam loved it a little too much. Now that he thought about it, there was only one woman who just wanted to be with him for him.

But he ruined that a long time ago. His job took up so much of his time and energy; he never had a chance to really explore what they could have had. 

He snorted softly and shook his head. This was supposed to make him stop thinking, not bringing up past regrets. And though he tried his hardest not to, he had a lot of them.

Turning the cycle onto a side road, he decided that it wasn't helping much. There was just something missing. He drove for a few miles, pulling into the parking lot of Jakes.

Elizabeth was finishing her third glass of Morgan and Coke. She knew she had drunk a little too much, and apparently it wasn't even helping her mood. She set down the glass, along with some money, and slid off the stool. As she was walking to the door, Coleman called over to her.

"Hey precious, you want me to call you a cab?"

Elizabeth stopped walking and rolled her eyes. Turning slowly, she glared at the man who made her entire body shudder in disgust.

"No, thanks. I'll walk." With that, she turned and walked out of the bar.

As she walked into the parking lot, she heard a noise from behind her. She turned and looked directly into the barrel of a gun.

"Wh-What do you want?" She started shaking, her mind filling with a thousand different scenarios.

The man holding the gun grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him, the gun slipping down to her waist.

"You are coming with me, sweetcheeks."

Elizabeth closed her eyes as he led her to the back door of a black stretch limousine. When they approached the car, she suddenly flashed to some of the lessons Jason had taught her on the bridge. She jammed her elbow into the man's side, and as he crumbled down in a ball, she started running. Another man jumped out of the passenger side of the front seat, and started shooting at her. In an instant, she felt a flash of pain. She stopped running and crumpled down on the ground. Opening her eyes and looking down, she saw the blood oozing from her blouse. Then the world went black.

As Jason pulled into the lot, he noticed a woman being escorted, not so kindly, to a limo. Something was telling him that there was something wrong. He could feel it. He stopped the engine far enough away so he could see, but not be seen. He quietly got off the bike and moved closer.

All the sudden, he saw the man slouch down onto the ground and the woman turn toward him.

Elizabeth!

He quickly started moving toward her as shots rang out. He watched in horror as she fell to the ground.

He could hear the man on the ground quickly getting into the car, yelling at the driver to go, but not before driving right past him, not noticing him getting the plate number on the car.

"The chick is dead. Let's get the hell out of here!"

He ran over to where Elizabeth was and fell to his knees, gently moving her head toward him.

"Elizabeth? Can you hear me? Come on, talk to me. You have to talk to me. Let me know you are alright."

His hands were shaking. Gently moving a stray piece of hair away from her face, he slowly started rocking her in his arms.

"Come on, now Elizabeth. You never have any trouble keeping up your part of a conversation." He laughed shakily. "I need to hear you ramble now. I really need to hear that."

She moaned softly, her eyes fluttering open. She looked around with just her eyes till they fell on his face.

She gave a soft, weak smile. "Jason."

He sighed in relief. She was still alive.

"Hi. Elizabeth you need to stay awake okay? I need to get you out of here. I can't take you to the hospital. Whoever did this thinks you are dead, okay? They need to think that for now, until we find out who did this to you."

She tried to get up, but the pain was too intense.

"Cameron. I need to get to Cameron." She moaned and hid her face into his chest.

"Where is he?"

"Mmm…he's at Emily's. I needed to go out. I needed…forget..about my…my life…" she was babbling, he knew. It was the sweetest thing he could've ever heard at that moment.

"Okay. We'll go there then. Okay, but you have to stay awake, alright?" Jason's hand was on her face, softly caressing her cheek.

"Ja-Jason…don't leave me. Please, I need you to stay with me…pp..please, " she moaned softly.

"Don't worry, Elizabeth. I won't leave you. I promise."

He looked down at the wound, ripped off the bottom half of her blouse, and pressed the fabric into it to temporarily stop the bleeding. He then reached in and grabbed his phone, punching the speed dial.

"It's me. I need a car at Jakes right now. Elizabeth's been shot. We need to get her to safety. NOW!"

He hung up the phone and placed it back into his jacket. He tightened his hold on her, trying to keep her warm as they waited for the car to arrive.

"Just stay with me, Elizabeth. You are safe now."


	2. Chapter 2

Max's car sped into the parking lot at Jake's, screeching to a halt in front of Jason. He ran out of the car and over to where they were, Jason sitting with Elizabeth's head in his lap. He noticed Jason running his hands over her face, whispering to her. Though he couldn't hear everything, he caught a few words, like Italy and seeing the light. He crouched down to their level when he reached them.

"What happened?"

Jason looked up at him, his eyes glassy. "Some guys tried to take her, but she got away. Then they shot her. I didn't get a good look at them, but I did get the plate number as they drove away. We need to get her somewhere safe. She said she wants to go to the gatehouse. Emily has Cameron. I don't think that's a good idea though. These people that want her dead might be connected to Sonny somehow, and I don't think she should be near there."

Max helped Jason pick her up and walked them both to the car, opening the door. After Jason climbed in, Elizabeth securely in his arms, he ran around and slid into the driver's seat.

"Where to then, boss?"

Jason looked down at Elizabeth's pale face. He had to get her someplace safe. In his mind, there was only one place he could think of.

"The studio. You know where it is. No one knows about it, and no one knows that I bought the building. It's the only place to keep her hidden for a while."

"Got it."

Max backed the car up and peeled down the road.

Elizabeth, pale and shaking, lifts her head from Jason's shoulder and looks up at him.

"Jason?"

He turns to look at her, his hand reaching up to move some hair out of her face.

"It's going to be okay, Elizabeth. I'm taking you somewhere safe, okay? You just got to stay with me."

"It hurts so much, Jason." She starts crying softly, hiding her face in his neck.

"Shhh. I know it hurts, and we are gonna get you better. But you got to promise me you'll stay awake okay?"

She nodded slowly, and then looks up at him.

"Cameron? What about Cameron?"

"Cameron is safe okay? He's with Emily, remember? I'm gonna bring you someplace safe, and as soon as you feel better, we'll bring him to see you?"

"But…mmmm….he needs his mother, Jason."

Jason takes her head in his hands and tilts her head up to look at him.

"Listen to me, okay. Cameron is fine. As soon as we get you someplace safe, and I know you are okay, I'll bring him to you. You need to calm down alright? For me?"

Elizabeth looks deep into his glacier blue eyes and nods slowly, her eyes closing and leans her head back on Jason's shoulder.

Jason closed his eyes and willed himself to be calm.

"Hurry Max."

Max sped up the car and drove down the road.

Emily stood there for a moment, lost in the chocolate eyes of the man who's been invading her dreams. Shaking her head, she moved aside and motioned for him to enter.

Sonny slowly walked in, his hands dug deep in his pockets, nerves suddenly on high alert.

"I um…just wanted to make sure everything was alright. I know Cam is staying over."

Emily closed the door then turned toward him, nodding softly.

"Yeah, everything is fine. He's sleeping right now. He's great to have around."

Sonny nodded. "Yeah he and Morgan seem to get along pretty great. I'm glad Elizabeth feels comfortable letting him come over, ya know?"

"Well, she knows you Sonny. She knows what a great father you are, and she knows that Morgan is a great kid."

"Well, I think it's more that you are here to keep an eye on things," he joked, a smirk playing on his lips.

Emily chuckles softly.

"Please, sit down. I was just having something to drink, do you want anything?"

"No, no I'm fine. I should go. I just wanted to check up and make sure everything's okay."

Trying to hide her disappointment. She looked down at her feet.

"Yeah, well if you have to go."

They stood there for a moment, both unwilling to look at each other or move.

Sighing, Sonny looked up at her and smiled.

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning. If you need anything, just let me know."

Emily simply nodded, not moving.

Hesitating only a moment he went to walk past her, brushing up against her. Stopping and swallowing hard, he closed his eyes at the contact that was practically burning his skin.

Emily looked up at him, her skin tingling from where they touched. Her face was inches from his.

Moving her head closer, her eyes focused on his mouth. Unable to stop, she slid her hand up around his neck and pulled him forward, her lips barely touching his.

"Sonny," she breathed softly as she tilted her head. Just as their lips touched, the ringing of his cell phone pulled them out of their trance.

Stepping back and clearing his throat, he pulled the cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open, placing it against his ear.

"Yeah."

_"Sonny it's me. Listen, I need you to meet me at Elizabeth's old studio. You remember where it is?"_

Sonny immediately heard the worried tone of Jason's voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. What's going on, Jason? What happened?"

_"There's no time to explain, just get there as soon as you can. Tell Emily I will call her later and explain everything. I need her to keep Cameron there for a little while. Just get here as soon as you can."_

"I'm leaving now." He flipped his phone shut and moved toward the door.

"I gotta go meet Jason. I need you to stay here and don't go anywhere."

"Sonny what's going on?" Her eyes were following him, her voice shaking with worry.

"I'm not sure, but Jason said he will call you later to explain."

She nodded, sliding her hands around her stomach for comfort.

He looked up and saw how scared she looked. He walked over to her and placed his hands on her upper arms, looking into her eyes.

"Just don't go anywhere and keep an eye on Cameron. I'll find out what's going on. Don't worry, okay?"

Emily shrugged a sad smirk on her face. "Can't help it. I always worry about the people l care about." Her eyes bore into his.

He took a deep breathe, wishing he was one of those people.

Nodding, he stepped back and turned, walking out the door.

Max pulled up against the side of the building and quickly got out of the car, helping Jason as he held Elizabeth close. They hurried up the stairs to the studio. Jason handed Elizabeth over to Max while he pulled out his keys, finding the one for the door. He quickly unlocked and opened it, taking Elizabeth back from Max and brought her inside. He took her over to the couch and laid her down.

"Max, go downstairs. In the back of the car is a blanket. We need to keep her warm."

Max rushed out of the studio and downstairs. Jason knelt in front of the couch, brushing hair away from Elizabeth's forehead. She felt warm to him. Not really knowing how else to check, he remembered what she did for him, and leaned in, placing his cheek on her head. She was burning up.

Swallowing the fear he felt, he unwrapped the shirt that was placed over the wound and tried to examine it. Just then, Max came running in with the blanket.

"Okay, thanks. Max, look in the closet. There should be a first aid kit in there."

Handing Jason the blanket, Max ran over to the closet and looked around. Finding what he was looking for, he grabbed it and handed it over to him. Taking the kit from him, Jason ordered Max outside while he worked on her.

Jason was unbuttoning her shirt and had spread it open, wincing when he saw the wound, all the blood making it look even worse. He turned and picked up the alcohol and some cotton balls, and set about to clean the area. He noticed that this was the exit wound. He thank God he didn't have to fish around for a bullet. He could just focus on stitching her up.

Elizabeth stirred slightly and opened her eyes, looking around at her surroundings. She noticed she was in her old studio, but the couch felt a lot more comfortable than she remembered. She turned her head and saw Jason cleaning out the wound, wincing when she felt the alcohol touch the sensitive area.

"Jason," she moaned.

"Shhh…Elizabeth just lay still okay? I'm just going to clean the wounds. I need you to be very still, because I'm gonna have to stitch you up."

"Mmmm…we're at the studio."

Jason nodded. "Yeah, it was the only place I could think of where you would be safe."

"But how…how? I don't rent it anymore…"

"Shhh..No talking okay. Save your strength."

"Brat.." she gave a small smirk then flinched as he touched her wound again.

"Yeah, that's me Webber. Just stay still." He searched the kit for a needle and thread, knowing that she kept it there when he was shot.

"Not…my couch..softer."

"No, it's my couch. The leather one remember? I put it in here because I didn't want to get rid of it." He kept talking to her as he cleaned her up.

"MMMM…love this couch.."

He sighed, hearing her ramble. He wished he had some medication to give her to alleviate some of the pain, but he had nothing.

He tried to focus as much as he could while stitching her up, her moans getting louder as he went on. He hated to see her in so much pain. It was killing him. The one person who should never be in pain was lying there shot, and it was all he could do to keep it together.

Finishing with the front, he leaned down closely next to her face.

"Okay, Elizabeth, I'm going to have to roll you to your side okay? I need to clean the back now."

She opened her eyes slowly, her vision foggy as she lifted her hand to his face.

"MMMMM…Jason," she whispered. "I should have…should have stayed…should have listened to you…didn't want to walk away…"

Jason's heart leapt into his throat. He knew what she was referring to. He needed to stay focused and not get distracted.

"It's okay Elizabeth. It's alright. I'm here, okay. I need you to roll to your side okay."

Elizabeth nodded slowly and he helped her turn toward the back of the couch.

As Jason was cleaning and stitching up the wound on her back, his mind kept going back to her words. Had she been regretting walking out on him? Did she still think of him? Could it be that he was not the only one with regrets?

As he finished up the back wound, he positioned her on her back again, pulling the blanket over her. She had passed out from the pain. She was so pale. He sat on the floor next to her and caressed her cheek softly.

"I hope I'm doing this right, Elizabeth. You have to be okay. We're gonna find who did this to you, but you have to be okay. People need you. Cameron and Emily need you. I need you. I need you so much."

Sonny was just walking up to the door of the studio and stopped, listening to Jason. He had always had a feeling that both of them still held feelings for each other, but never voiced his opinion out loud. Jason never liked people interfering in his personal life, and he wasn't as close to Elizabeth as he used to be.

Walking into the room, he noticed Elizabeth laying down, her skin pale and she was sweating, her breathing a bit shallow.

"Jason, what the hell happened?"

He ran over to the couch and ran his hand over her head.

"Damn, she's burning up!"

"She was shot. In the parking lot of Jakes. I saw the whole thing. Sonny, I need every available man on this. We have to find these people, and I will take care of them. Personally."

Sonny nodded. "You got it. Max will stay here and guard the door, that way you can focus on taking care of her."

Jason looked down at her sleeping form, his eyes glassy. "She looks so still. I stitched her up as best I could, but I don't know if that's going to be enough."

Sonny placed his hand on Jason's shoulders. "You did your best man, I'm sure it was fine. I'm assuming that you didn't bring her to the hospital to throw whoever did this off. I didn't even know she still had this place."

"She doesn't. After…well, after she left, I bought the building." He didn't elaborate. He didn't need to. Sonny knew what this place meant to both of them.

"Okay. You sit with her. I'm gonna go and call the doc. Maybe he can get some pain meds over here for her. In the meantime, try to keep her as comfortable as possible. I'm gonna go and check on Emily and Cameron." He walked toward the door and turned as he remembered something.

"What do you want me to tell Emily?"

Jason reluctantly turned his head from watching Elizabeth. "Um…tell her what happened and where we are. We can trust her. Besides, she's going to have to keep Cameron with her until Elizabeth gets better." His voice caught, his gaze moving back to her. "She has to get better."

"And she will, Jason. She has you taking care of her. She has all she needs."

With that, he turned and walked out the door.

Jason sat back on the floor in front of the couch, slipping his hand over hers. He watched her face contort in pain while she slept. A tear slipped from his eyes.

"Hang in there Elizabeth. I need you to hang in there. I need my best friend back, my more than friend. Please.."

He sat there, his other hand brushing back her hair, silently crying.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jason opened his eyes and immediately took in his surroundings. The studio was brightened by the sunlight streaming through the window.

He looked down and noticed he was still holding Elizabeth's hand. He rubbed his other hand over his face, willing sleep away. He had to be focused. Elizabeth needed him.

Letting go of her hand, he turned on his knees to face her. She still looked so pale. He leaned over and placed his cheek to her forehead. It still felt warm, but not as bad as he thought it was last night. He knew he needed to check on her wound, but didn't want to disturb her. She needed all the rest she could get right now.

He lifted himself up and walked over to the door, carefully opening it, finding Max on the other side.

Max looked over at Jason, noticing his fatigue and the worry in his eyes.

"How's she doing?"

"She's sleeping right now, which is probably best for her. I need to check her stitches soon, though. I want you to call Stan, tell them I need to see him as soon as possible. He needs to run the plate number I got off the limo I saw."

"You got it, boss." Max reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his cell and immediately punching in the appropriate digits.

"Also, call Sonny. See if he got a hold of Doc. She's going to need some sort of pain meds."

Max nodded at Jason, and turned, giving Stan the information he needed.

Jason closed the door and turned, walking back to the couch. He noticed that Elizabeth was starting to stir.

He rushed over and sat on the floor at her side, running his hand over her cheek.

"Elizabeth, how are you feeling?"

Her eyes fluttered open slowly. She looked around cautiously, taking in her surroundings, until her gaze settled on Jason.

"Jason." She tried to sit up, but forgot about her wound, immediately wincing, falling back down.

"Hey, just lay back and relax, okay? I don't want your wound to open up."

He helped situate her back on the couch. Sitting back on his knees, he pulled the blanket back.

He pulled her shirt up and checked her bandage. It wasn't bleeding through, which he was thankful for. He pulled her shirt back down and pulled the blanket back up.

"How's Cam? I want to see him, Jason. I need to see him." Her voice was strained, and he could tell she was in a lot of pain, even if she was trying to ignore it.

"Cam is fine, alright? He's with Emily, and she's taking great care of him. You have to worry about yourself now, okay?"

He sat on the couch by her feet, leaning over her, caressing her cheek softly. His touch felt soothing to her. It brought her calmness, and made her feel safe.

"Thank you. Thank you for bringing me here and taking care of me."

Jason smiled softly at her, brushing her hair back from her cheek. "Just returning the favor. Now you need to rest, okay? Just close your eyes. I'll be right here."

She smiled up at him, her fingers curling around his hand and squeezing. Her eyes drooped closed, as if they were too heavy to keep open. In a few moments, she was asleep again.

Jason watched as she fell back asleep, his fingers brushing against her soft cheek. He wondered how he could have gone so long without so much as a hello to her. They were friends, yet they hardly saw each other. He vowed right then that he would make sure to see her beautiful face every day, even if it's only to say hello.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He turned his head and saw Max at the other end.

"Boss, its Miss Quartermaine."

Emily ran in behind Max and jumped into her brother's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Jase. Sonny told me. How is she?" She let go of him and walked over to the couch, sitting on Elizabeth's side, checking her pulse.

"Thanks Max. Let me know when Stan calls back." Jason nodded to the guard, and Max nodded back, turning and closing the door behind him. He turned and watched as Emily checked her vitals.

"She just fell back asleep. Her fevers down, but I know she's still in a lot of pain." His voice was strained as he filled his sister in on her condition.

Emily slid the blanket down carefully, hoping to not disrupt Elizabeth's sleep. She pulled up her blouse and checked the bandages. There was no seepage, which was a good sign.

"Well, you did a good job stitching her up. I brought something for her to take for the pain. I also brought over some portable heaters. This place can get really cold in the winter."

He nodded, his eyes focused on the lying form on the couch. "Yeah, I remember."

Emily watched her brother. His usually stoic face was now full of emotion. She knew that only Elizabeth could bring that out of him.

"Don't worry about Cameron. He's fine. He's with Leticia and the boys." She fixed the blanket back over Elizabeth's form, and then stood up to face her brother.

She pulled a bottle of pills out of her pocket and handed them to him. "Have her take these every few hours for the pain. They'll make her groggy, but it will help."

"Okay. I'll make sure she gets one the next time she wakes up. Thanks."

Emily nodded, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. "And you need to get some rest too. You're no good to her if you are exhausted."

He shrugged, "I'm fine."

"Uh huh. I mean it, Jason. You need to keep up your strength if you are going to be taking care of her."

"Okay, I promise to get more rest."

"Good."

Just then there was a knock on the door, followed by Max \peeking his head through.

"Boss, its Stan. He's got a lead."

Jason walked to the door, and then turned around quickly.

"Emily, just sit with her. I don't want her to wake up with no one there. I'll be right outside."

Emily smiled. "Sure, I won't go anywhere till you're done."

He closed the door behind him and Emily sat down on the edge of the couch, watching her best friend's pale face as she slept restlessly.

"Don't you worry, Liz. You'll be fine. Jason's taking great care of you. He really cares about you. That hasn't changed. He's so worried about you. How about you get better, so you can both make each other happy? I think its way past time, don't you? I really need you to be okay, too. I need my best friend right now to give me advice. I've fallen for Sonny, Liz, and I just don't know what to do about it." Emily smoothed back Elizabeth's hair as she spoke, her eyes tearing.

Outside the door, Jason was talking to Stan on the phone.

"Tell me you got something." He stood with his hands on his hips, his breathing ragged.

"Well, I ran the plates. They are registered to a local rental company. No specifics yet on who it was rented out to, just that it's some company based out of London. I'll have more for you soon; it's just getting past some channels."

Jason sighed. He hated waiting on this. He needed to take care of who ever did this, and quick.

"Okay, stay on it. Let me know the minute you have any more information."

He shut the phone and handed it back to Max and walked back into the room.

He walked over to Emily, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I hate seeing her this way, Jase. Who could possibly have done something like this?"

"I don't know, but we're going to find out and take care of it. We're going to make sure she's okay." His voice was strained, his eyes focused on the sleeping Elizabeth.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Marco was walking along the docks when he saw two figures he recognized as Lorenzo Alcazar's goons. He slipped back behind a building UN noticed, trying to listen to what they were saying.

"I'm telling you, something is off. I went back to Jakes not a half hour after we left her there and she was gone, no ambulance, nothing. I'm telling you, she just disappeared."

"So what are we gonna tell the boss? We were supposed to bring her to him alive! We need to find out what happened to her. If she's alive, we gotta get her and quick. Mr. Alcazar has big plans for her, and there can't be any screw-ups."

Marco watched the two men walk away, and then reached into his pocket. He dialed the number he was trying to reach, and waited through two rings before it picked up.

"_Yeah, Morgan."_

"Boss, its Marco. I got some news that I think you need to hear."

"_Come to the studio. Make sure you aren't followed."_

"Right." He clicked the phone shut and shoved it back into his pockets, looking back and forth to make sure no one was watching the direction he was headed and ducked into the building that housed the studio.

Jason put his phone in his back pocket and sat back down on the couch near Elizabeth's legs. He placed a wet rag on her head, hoping it was helping with the fever she still had. She stirred slightly from her slumber, moaning softly.

"Shhhh. Go back to sleep. You need your rest."

"Mmm…Jason. I'm..I'm alright." She tried to shoo away his hand from her head, but he kept putting it back, and she was too weak to fight him.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"I don't remember being this bossy with you," she replied sleepily.

He chuckled softly.

"Oh I'm not half as bad as you were. Now rest. I'll let you know when your soup is here."

"I can handle soup. I'm not a baby, like someone else we won't mention."

He saw her smile as he teased her. He was glad she felt well enough to at least joke around.

The knock on the door pulled Jason's attention away from her. He got up and answered it, waving Marco inside.

"Tell me everything."

Marco recounted everything he heard the two men talking about on the docks. Jason listened intently, all the while looking at the wounded woman on the couch.

"What does Alcazar want with Elizabeth? As far as I know they barely know each other."

They were whispering softly, as to not disturb the now sleeping Elizabeth.

"I don't know boss, but it looked like they really screwed up. Alcazar wanted her unarmed. They are scrambling right now trying to find her."

"We have to find out just what they want with her before they have a chance to get to her again. Call Stan; have him look into her background. I want to know if there is any connection at all with her and Alcazar."

Marco nodded and left immediately. Jason sat back down on the couch and brushed the bangs out of Elizabeth's eyes.

"We'll figure it all out, Elizabeth. I'll keep you safe. Nothing is going to harm you. You have my word."


End file.
